SEGA and Platinum Games Reveal Bayonetta

Hideki Kamiya takes the stage at a small waterfront restaurant in downtown San Francisco, pausing for a moment before addressing the tightly packed crowd in Japanese.

Kamiya is a developer at newly-formed Platinum Games, comprised of former members of Capcom, Clover Studios and Seeds. The company, whose members were behind such vaunted titles as Okami, Resident Evil and Viewtiful Joe, has recently partnered with SEGA on a publishing deal. The San Francisco event marks Platinum's official U.S. coming-out party, and the developer chose three games to showcase, including Kamiya's new project.

Three-dimensional action games, Kamiya says through a translator, have not changed much since he created Devil May Cry seven years ago and it's time for a change, he insists. And with that briefest of pitches, he steps aside to present a trailer for his newest creation, Bayonetta.

As the projection screen lights up, awash in a white glow, a ghostly feather calmly drifts across the face of a full moon. But the tranquility of the scene is quickly shattered by a cacophony of sound and violence.

Bullet holes pierce the screen and a splatter of blood coats an unidentifiable surface. Shell casings fall with a menacing, slow motion John Woo tinkle. We glimpse a multi-chambered handgun, pressed against the skull of a mysterious creature. Everything is bathed in red and black, and the entire scene feels claustrophobic and chaotic. Then the sharp crimson Bayonetta logo slams onto the screen and it's all over, as quickly and violently as it began.

The trailer lasts no more than 15 seconds, shows nothing concrete and leaves us with far more questions than answers. Stepping back onstage, Kamiya gives only slight clues about the upcoming game. The main character, we're told, is named Bayonetta. She is an ancient witch who has been reborn in modern times to battle angels. She can kick, she can punch, she can dual-wield firearms. Oh, and she also has guns attached to her feet.

Her witch powers (most of which Platinum can't talk about just yet) allow her to skillfully fire her foot-guns, whereas most of us would likely stomp around clumsily and hurt ourselves. Beyond that, we know little about Bayonetta.

Of the three games shown at the SEGA/Platinum event, Bayonetta was the only current-generation high-definition console title shown. The others are under development for Wii (Mad World) and DS (Infinite Line). A fourth project, headed by Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami, was mentioned briefly at the event but no details were revealed.

Although we don't know much about Bayonetta – including platforms, release dates, storyline, gameplay mechanics, etc. – Platinum president Atsushi Inaba said the new company is on a "mission to create very unique, very special kinds of games" that inspire "excitement and joy" in gamers.

We'd love to tell you more about how that excitement and joy may manifest itself in Bayonetta, but Platinum and SEGA are playing it cool for now. As they loosen up with the details, we'll keep you posted. Until then, we'd just like to reiterate that the witch has guns on her feet.